Knockdown screen kit



J. s. ALEXANDER ETAL xNocxnowN SCREEN KIT June 24, 1958 2 sheets-sheet 1 Filed Sept. 15, 1954 IPIIII IIITFII III-1| A'ORNEY June 24, 1958 J. s. ALEXANDER ETAL KNOCKDOWN SCREEN KIT A2 `Sheets-Sheet. 2

Filed Sept. 15, 1954 amm;

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IN VENTORS JaH/v .5. WA/vork,

United States Patent KNOCKDOWN SCREEN KIT John S. Alexander, Homestead, Russell M. Winnan,

Miami, Aand Henry L. Majeske, Coral Gables, Fla., assignors to American Screen Products Co., Miami, Fla., a corporation of Florida Application september 1s, 1954, yserial No. 456,212

1 Claim. (ci. 15o-317) The present invention relates to a knockdown screen frame sold as a package or kit for ready assembly by the purchaser or user.

An object of the present invention is to provide in one kit all necessary screen parts and tools for facilitating assembly of a metal frame screen by unskilled hands upon following simple instructions.

Another object is to provide an assembly including novel corner locks for the screen frame ends and side portions.

Still another object is to providenovel joint inserts adapted to lock the two or more side sections of the screen together.

A further object is to provide novel cross brace inserts and means for securing the same to and between the screen side sections in their adjacent spline grooves.

Yet another object is to provide a novel mounting for a finger pull to raise and lower the screen when installed.

The construction of the present invention makes it possible to provide a package of screen parts which fills a long felt need for a satisfactory, high quality, and inexpensive replacement for windows of older homes and buildings, where an aluminum frame with ber glass cloth becomes available to users to provide a long lasting, low maintenance product. Moreover, the present invention makes it possible to provide a number of standardized size screens to the extent that approximately ninety-five percent of all types and sizes of residence windows can be covered, thus, eliminating the expensive application heretofore required in most windows of irregular size and type. In addition it enables hardware and building material jobbers and dealers to carry an inventory of kits that will meet practically all demands of the existing home market.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the several parts, and combinations thereof, when -read in conjunction with the attached drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a front plan view of a screen assembled from the novel parts of this invention and ready for installation;

Figure 2 is a view with the several novel parts of the screen frame pulled apart and aligned for their respec# tive assembly positions including the corner lock at each mitered end of the frame ends;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the corner locks;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the cross brace and the cross brace inserts connected to the side members of the screen frame;

Figure 5 is a detail in side elevation of a joint insert for joining the side bars of the screen frame together;

Figure 6 is an end view of the joint insert; and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view in section of the novel linger pull and its mounting in the spline groove of the screen frame.

Figure 8 is a perspective View of the novel cross brace inserts.

Patented June24, 1958 Similar references 'designate' like parts in the several" frame A is disclosed assembled in Figure l andthe frame sides, ends and corner locks are disclosed in Figure 2 pulled apart and ready for assembly.

The sides of the frame comprise fourparts, namely, hollow bars 10*11 and 12-13 having opposed mitered ends 14-15 and 16-17, respectively. The hollowbars 18-and 19 at each end of the frame, as shown, are in one section and are each likewise formed with mitered ends 2021 and 21-22, respectively. l

Each adjacent mitered end of a side bar and an end bar are locked together by means of corner locks 23 comprising a substantially right angled brace structure with angularly diverging legs 24 and 25 adapted to lit within the bore of their respective adjacent mitered frame bar ends. Also, these corner locks are each formed with a V-shaped web plate 26 at the crotch of the legs, whereby when the mitered ends are positioned with their mitered edges in abutment, the lower portion of the edges seat in the notch or apex 27 of the plate. This provides a locking effect and holds the ends and sides together securely.

The side bar sections and their respective end sections may be joined together intermediately by joint inserts, such as 28 (see Figure 2, 5 and 6), either before or after the Vcorner locks 23 have been used. In either event upon connecting the side bars with their respective joint inserts 28, the screen frame A is completely assembled into a rectangular structure (see Figure 1). The inserts 28 may be formed with a cleat 29 adapted to snap into a complementary depression in the bore of one of said side bar sections.

As shown in Figure 4 each side frame is formed with a U-shaped inwardly off-set channel or spline groove 30. The interior off-set side of the groove 30 serves as an anchor flange 31 for a cross brace connector 32 (see Figure 4). This connector 32 comprises a piece of sheetmetal formed with rounded over side portions 33 from one end and a downwardly bent tongue 35 providing a U-portion, said tongue having a right angled flange 36 formed from the opposite end thereof. 'Ihe tongue and flange fit snugly over the anger 31, andthe llange 36 seats on the bottom of the spline groove 30, while the opposite end of the connector 32 has its `side portions adapted to frictionally telescope within the bore of a hollow cross bar 37 extending transversely of the screen frame between the side bars thereof, as disclosed in Figures 1 and 4.

The end bars 18 and 19 like the side bars of the frame are formed with similar spline grooves and the lower or bottom end bar 19 has secured over its interior olf-set ange 31a the tongue portion 35a and spline groove flange 36EL of a finger pull 40 (see Figure 7). This finger pull 40 extends upward along the surface of the screen fabric 41 in the frame A and is bent l over to provide a handle 42.

The foregoing describes Vthe novel frame structure and its associated parts without the details of the fabric screen mesh for the frame A. This mesh is standard and the spline 43 for the spline groove 30 is made with an elongated slot throughout its length. Thus, when it is pressed into the groove 30 over the selvedge edge of the screen, with or without the flange 36 of the cross brace connector 32, or the ilange 36a of the finger pull, it will be yieldably resilient and expand into frictional holding contact with the groove 30, thereby positively retaining the screen parts in the groove.

The kit, not shown, is an suitable container to hold the necessary parts and tools for assembly of the screen, such as a hack saw, rubber nosed hammer and tamping block.

Vthe novel screen frame areapparent to others skilled in the art, `and it is to be expressly `understood that various changes therein now likely to occur `to yothers may be made without departing` from the invention. 'l

We claim: i

HA` knockdoWnscreen frfine comprising right angularly disposed' hollow bars having Amitered ends and inner spline grooves, corner lock means disposed within adjacent ends of said bars for holding same together as a rectangular frame, a hollow brace for extending across the frame with its ends being disposed adjacent .opposed spline" grooves whose inner edges are defined by anchor anges, and a connector means disposed at each end of said brace comprising a member having side anges frictionally engaged with the inner walls of said hollow brace bar, a U-portion engaged over the adjacent anchor `lange and a ange seated on the base of the adjacent spline groove.

References Cited in the tile of this patent ,UNITED STATES PATENTS 269,390 `Crowell 1 e Dee. 19, 1882 438,544 Henderson .1-, Oct. 14,1890 956,239 Watson Apr. 26, 1910 1,561,470 Kihin g Nov. 17, 1925 1,571,661 Descoteau Feb. 2, 1926 1,722,947 Schneider et al July 30, 1929 1,729,586 Liebman Sept. 24, 1929 2,703,159 Van FleetA Mar. 1, 1955 

